Re: Science techniques:Invent
Invent:
Associated Skill:
Invent : science (most appropriate branch)
Improvise Craft ( most appropriate version)
Invent and Improvise are nearly identical in mechanics, the only difference being the cost, time needed to build, and reliability of the finished product. Both are used in the same way for determining those factors. However significant difference do exist in certain areas, which are addressed in detail below.
Improvise is the art of making something useful out of trash and spare parts. Sometime you just don’t have the tools you need or someone took them away from you. In this case the tech calls on Patron Saint McGuyver and goes to work scrounging through the junk on hand. In an hour he can usually throw together something that will get the job done,. It isn’t pretty, I will likely burst into flames and melt down before he end of the day, and it often resembles what it is...a collection of trash held together with spot welds, bailing wire, paperclips and bubble gum.
If the device lasts the day it will be a miracle and it should be retied with honor to the shelf over the techs workbench to spend the rest of it’s days a a shining example of his genius
The older more mature bother of Improvise is Invent, through careful research, meticulous planning and precise engineering a scientist can counter an enemies advantage create a new and improved version of exiting devices or create a method of simulating techniques and abilities seen in his travls or during his research. Unlike Improvise though the requirements for Invent are strenuous. Uninterrupted research time, complicated manufacturing and diagnostic equipment. And more time than would ever be possible in the field.
All this takes money, friends and resources. Fortunately for most scientists universities, corporations and governments are always happy to supply those in abundance to a talented inventor. For the price of turning over his latest invention to them to do with as they please.
Independent and free lance researchers often find themselves strapped for resources and facilities leaving them an abundance of time to ponder their latest theory, if they aren’t forced into the mundane word of working for a living.
While few scientists willingly take to the field to test their new discovery a few relish the challenge and adventure and personally take their devices out into the world to give them a thorough shake down before sending them off o the engineers who will turn them into marketable goods, or shelve them in a warehouse to collect dust until needed to resolve., or instigate, some unforeseen crisis.
To determine the difficulty cost in resources, and time taken the tech has to determine the effective level of the device she intends to build.
Skill bonus: 1 level Per +1 ( max level of improvise known)
Damage : 1 level Per D6 of damage( improvise: max damage Level of Improvise +2)
Damage reduction/AC: 1 level per 2 pts DR or 1 pt AC
Movement: 1 per 5ft or 10mph
Hazard protection 1 per hazard+ 1 per level of intensity
Range Increment: 1 level per 5 ft or 5 MPH( see notes)
Duration : See Notes
Radius of effect: 2 level per 5 feet 5 ft radius
Number of uses -2 levels for single use, +1 level per 3 uses
Saves : base 10, one lever per +2 to save DC
Imitate Known Technique: 3 levels/level of technique
Imitate unknown power 5 levels per level imitated
Imitate extraordinary ability 10 levels
Skill Penalties: -1 level pr -2 skill penalty
Activation time: See Notes
Single use disposable: -2 levels
Single shot manual reload -1 level
Single shot internal magazine +0
Detachable magazine +1
Semi auto +1
Full auto fire +2
3 round burst +1
External Power supply -1
Size of device
fine ( pen, pocket knife) 1/4 location +6
Diminutive cell phone wallet 1/2location +5
Tiny ( glove, small knife pistol)1 location +4
Small( laptop, large pistol 2 locations +3
Medium ( jacket, SMG) 3 locations +1
Large( rifle, body armor, suitcase) 4 locations +0
Huge( machinegun, filing cabinet) -1
Gargantuan ( car, dumpster) -2
Reliability
Unreliable ( break roll on use/-4 on break save) -4
Poor reliability( Break roll on skill/attack failure -2)-2
Average ( break roll on crit fail, or +0 break roll) +0
Good ( break on damaged or + 2 beak save) +1
Excellent( no break roll, +4 break save) +2
Controls
Locked +2
Unique +0
Standard +4
Mass Production +6
SKILL BONUS: if an item decreases a skill bonus reverse the level of the penalty is subtracted from the total levels of the device. A -2 armor penalty, or a -2 to an attack roll = -2 levels
ARMOR CLASS/DR For invent armor and DR are treated as normal armor or force fields however improvised armor and force fields are notoriously unreliable. In effect increasing the crit threat range of any attack by two. If the attack is a critical threat only because of this modification the attack simply bypasses armor and does not inflict extra damage.
Also if an attack misses or hits by a number equal to the amount of Ac the device grants then the armor or shield must make a breakage check. Fort Save DC damage rolled on attack. If this save is missed then the armor breaks and is useless or the shield pack fuses into a rather interesting bit of modern art and catches fire. Trusting you life to armor or shield you made out of scrap is the act of a truly desperate, or truly insane individual.
MOVEMENT is either combat move, or vehicular speed. 5 ft of movement comes out to roughly 5 miles per hour. For a character so at 30ft per round, running speed would be about 17 to 10 miles per hour. Of course a human cant keep this up for more than a few minutes at best. After al a 4 minute mile is considered a good rate for joggers and runners.( that is about 132 ft per round maintained for 4 minutes)
IMPROVISE: When using vehicular speeds, the standard move increment would be 5 miles per hour This movement is over land, or water for flying level costs are doubled and fight it clumsy. Hover can be added for an additional 2 levels.
INVENT: when using vehicular speeds standard movement increase is 10mph for grond and water movement. Flight movement is 5MPH and the maneuverability is good, maneuverability increase movement costs by 1 per level of movement added.)
Movement rates are intended to replace natural movement not amplify it. This is most useful for when a character has been injured and cant walk or when the character has to carry a heavy load and needs something to haul his gear and himself out of the area without stopping every ten minutes to catch his breath.
If the device is intended to boost a characters natural running speed he must obey all normal rules for running including, encumbrance, reductions on movement due to injury, fatigue or exhaustion, fortitude saves, to maintain his pace, and a pretty good chance of falling on his face and getting a good case of road rash.
HAZARD PROTECTION: to protect fro environmental hazards such as radiation, toxins, infectious disease, or nasty little parasites that want to burrow into your flesh and lay their eggs. protection must equal the intensity of the threat. The GM will assign a threat level each step up the list increases the level of the protection 1 pt. Nuisance
Light
Moderate
High
Severe
Dangerous
Lethal
each hazard must be protected against individually, in a nuclear fallout zone it would require both protection from background radiation, airborne fallout, and contact contamination.
In a toxic disease ridden swamp it would require one for the airborne toxins, contact toxins, airborne diseases, and insect/contact borne diseases.
Space only has one intensity level: lethal, boiling heat sub-arctic cold, lack of pressure and breathable air make protection against a grotesque and hideously painful death a bit tricky….better hope the improvised space suit your wearing doesn’t pack it in I the middle of a space walk.
If a hazard actually deals any damage measured I dice, or hit point damage then the device will ave to include sufficient DR to resist ding destroyed by the environment itself. A fire proof suit would have to be able to resist the total damage of a fire to keep fro being slowly destroyed by the flames ( a 5d6 house fire would require at least DR 30 to avoid being incinerated if caught in the middle of it.)
Armor designed to protect from one specific hazard, acid, heat, fire, electricity, etc has ¼ cost but it offers only ¼ it’s rating against other hazards, or attacks. But that fire proof suit that wont stop a dinky .22 caliber bullet sure looks good when that napalm canister you were trying to disarm blows up in your face.
Magazine : a magazine may be a power supply, battery, generator, fuel tank , or a group of projectiles/ power cells contained in a single storage unit. Without a magazine the device must be disassembled opened or broken down to replace the power source/ammunition this takes significantly longer than simply swapping out a self contained unit such as a rifles clip, or a detachable fuel tank.
The number of rounds/uses in a magazine indicates the number of charges, batteries bullets the weapon holds. And the manner they are reloaded.. Each device that requires power to operate is assumed to have on 10 minute power supply. Each offensive weapon is assumed o hold one power charge or projectile. Items that require power are assumed to have enough power for one our of continuous use.
Manual reload: item must be opened, the old supply must be removed and new power supply/projectile installed each time it operates. This is a full round action.
Internal magazine: holds a number of extra projectile or batteries. But user must manually eject used power source, chamber a new one, or switch to a new battery. This is a move action. Reloading the magazine is a full round action.
Self loading, device automatically ejects spent power source/projectile and replace it with a fresh one. Once magazine is empty the magazine must be refilled/replaced.
The number of rounds charges, uses a device can hold does not increase the cost or time taken to build a unit, it is simply recorded for completeness. Onl the ease and time taken to reload is taken into account in determining cost and time of construction or research.
Items that do not use power , armor, melee weapons, tools, do not require a magazine but at discretion of GM may not be able to use certain abilities, or effects.
DURATION: usually duration of effect is 1 skill check, or attack. However a tech can squeeze more life out of his toy with some creative thinking. Increasing the duration of a damaging effect indicates the target takes damage for a number of rounds equal to the duration. For skill bonuses, and defensive abilities the effect last for the duration instead of ending after the first attack mad against it.
Duration levels
For non damaging affects
1rnd/skill use free
3 rnds +1 level
1 turn, +4 levels
10 minutes + 10 levels
For damaging effects
1 rd, +1 Level
1d3 rnd +2 levels
3 rnds, +4 levels
BREAKING YOUR TOYS: Inventions are far more robust, due to careful engineering and construction allowing them to function without risk of breaking as do improvised items. The ite has the same hit points and hardness as any highly complex device. Requiring more damage to destroy and not requiring checks
to determine if the item breaks after use.
However improvised items break, sooner rather than later. Once all their uses have been depleted, or if the weapon is damaged, they break. Each time the weapon is used there is a 50% - ranks in improvise chance the iem will break after it is used allowing one last use before it fuses into useless junk.
IMITATING TECHNIQUES: Active techniques know by the builder ( or has a willing mentor to assist him) can be incorporated into the device this is expensive since most techniques require he use of sophisticated devices and rare resource that usually a accountant will have a hear attack for even considering the purchase of. The builder can not exceed levels he has in his techniques and can not improvise a technique level higher than his invent level.
Negating techniques: a device may be required to combat some unique special ability or technique. The difficulty in doing so is extreme since it requires considerable understanding of the technique or special ability the scientists wish to negate. the level adjustment fo damping an ability is +1 level greater than imitating it. To negate an ability requires that a test subject or willing assistant with the technique or ability assist the scientist. His requires the same upkeep and expense as hiring a trainer or mentor. In the cas of a test subject usually the expense is in keeping it safely confined while you wok on the project. More than one project has ended tragically when the researcher skimped on securing his prize blood thirsty face eating abomination from a distant world
INCREASED ACTIVATION: only suitable for attacks and defenses, usually an improvised device require a full round action to use. Not having time to properly set up the controls, and having to beg, cajole, or beat into submission a cranky device does not lead to fast reaction times.
Move action +4 Levels
Attack Action +2 Levels
Full attack 0 Level
Full round -1 Level
1d3 rounds - 3 Level
1 turn -10 levels
CONTROLS
Unique: Normally an invention has it’s own unique controls. This allows it to only be used by the inventor, or someone who he has trained to use the device. If the item is a weapon or armor this causes the item to be an exotic weapon or armor. Requiring time and practice( expenditure of skill pts, device is considered an exotic type for skill point expenditure. And can not be bought as a class skill unless a feat. Exotic weapon/armor proficiency is selected) to learn to master the weapon. Until this training is completed the device imparts a non proficiency penalty of -4 to any attacks or skill rolls made while using the weapon or wearing the armor.
Standard: these control conform to a standardized system known to most people. It allows the item to be used by anyone with the appropriate skills without penalty. Or weapons and armor this allows the use of an existing weapons training or armor training skill to be applied with only a -1 penalty due to he weapons individual quirks.
Mass Production: the controls mimic a set of well known and universally used controls. Intended for anyone to pick up the item and use it with existing skills without penalty.
Locked: the item can not be used by anyone but the person it was designed and constructed for.
COST AND TIME
Multiple effects can be combined into one item. Effect increases the level of the device increasing expense in parts, and time to construct.
Research Time:
Before an invention can be produced it must first be researched. To do this the inventor will need time, resources and an assistant or mentor to help research any technique ability or skill he himself does not posses. The cost, time and conditions for researching an new device are identical to the rules for learning a new technique.
This is done out of game and is assumed to take 2d10 +(1d4 day per level of the invention). His training time is reduced by 1 day per point of wisdom but is never reduced below 1 day.
During research players time is spent in intensive meditation, practice and study, he may not perform any other strenuous or complex task, and must spend at least 12 hours per day in research braking only to eat, re or carryon casual conversations, if he misses a day in research his research time is increased by 1d3 days.
Research requires a calm setting and ample room to set up experiments, equipment and upplies, while it might be as simple as a space cleared out in a warehouse, hold of a ship, or a formal and specialized lab, the area must be free of distractions and obstruction,. For safety most persons would be advised to avoid the area or observe from a discrete distance.
Techniques and evolutions requiring a research specimen or specialized assistance for techniques or abilities not possessed by the researcher. also require that the student provide lodgings, meals and often pay for the aid of the assistant. Each day of training is a Purchase dc (12 +2xLevl of device being researched learned) expense for each week of training.
When esearch is completed the inventor can no produce a schematic for his new device, and proceed with construction of a prototype. Once the schematic is completed I can be manufactured by anyone with the proper craft skills and equipment if he wishes the inventor can send off the schematic and jet off for a well earned vacation or resume his travels and adventures unhindered by the need to do more than pay for the cost of production. And rest comfortably knowing his new, untested, non-copyrighted design is in the hands of a complete stranger who may or may not know what he is doing.
Construction cost and time
Improvise: time and expediency are the key factors in improvise it has to be done fast cheap and dirty. Cost is generally Purchase DC= ½ the final adjusted level of device and time taken is equal to the purchase DC in minutes.
Invent:
Purchase DC in resources and equipment: is equal to the level of device after all adjustment. This can not be modified by mechanical genius, repair or any other cost time reducing technique or ability…hey, you have to be a genius just to put the thing together in the first place, you want to do it faster and cheaper too?
Constructing your invention item requires 1d4 days per level of the device, adjusted by the researchers wisdom and modifier minimum 1 day
EXPERIENCE COSTS; improvise does not incur an experience cost to use since the device is likely to be used up fairly quickly and offers no long term benefit. HOWEVER, inventions do offer long term benefits and can radically alter the balance of power for a character. To balance this Invent is one of the few techniques that require experience points to be used. XP cost is based off the final adjusted level of the device. XP COST = 10x level of device, minimum 10xp
In the event te builder does not intend to use the item for more than one or two sessions the GM may waive xp costs, but at the end of this time the device ceases to be effective, breaks or simply vanishes.
.
After the first prototype is constructed and tested the researcher my recreate his invention at the original purchase DC of construct -2, and half the time of the original, there is no further cost in experience.. Of course this does not mean the final product will sell for such low prices, there are expenses to cover, the families of deceased research assistant to bribe into silence and off course the CEO would like to see some profit from the whole project. On the market the Purchase DC of the device wil likely be equal to or higher than the original prototypes cost ( original items Purchase DC +1)
The skill check to successfully improvise a device will be made by the GM, the player has no idea if he was successful or not until the device is actually put to use. The check Invent is at DC (level of device)
